Show all images on one page	#003215 Title: Festive Russian Artist: Molodkin Vladimir Size: 17x12x14.5 Size (inches): 6.75x4.75x5.75 Price : $2450 SOLD!

This remarkable organization of color, detail and thematic expression was composed by the well known Mstera artist Vladimir Molodkin. Very often Vladimir paints his unique works on the theme of Russian folk feasts. We can remember such brilliant Molodkin's works as “Maslenitsa”, “St John Baptist's Day”, “Kreshenye” (or the holiday of Epiphany), “The Christmas Holiday”, and many others. This box called “Festive Russia”, is also painted on Molodkin's favorite theme.
The box's front side shows how the Russians celebrate the Holiday of Maslenitsa (or ‘the Pancake Week'). This holiday is arranged to send off the cold winter and welcome the beginning of warm spring. It usually takes place the week before the Lenten fast. In ancient times Maslenitsa included different magic and religious rites that afterwards transformed into traditional folk customs, such as burning of a woman of straw that embodies the winter, baking of sacrificial bread - pancakes, dressing masquerades, various games, driving in a sledge at high speed and many others. Some of these customs are depicted in this scene.
On the right side of the box we can see how the Russians celebrate an ancient pagan holiday of the Ivan Kupala Day. This holiday coincides with the St. John Baptist's Day in people's thinking. The holiday of the Ivan Kupala Day is celebrated on the 7th of June. Kupalo is the pagan God of Fertility. The main rituals of this holiday are jumping over the bonfire and ablution. While celebrating this holiday young people sing amorous songs, sing and dance in a ring; girls throw garlands of flowers on the water to find out who their future husbands will be. It is believed that evil forces grow stronger this day, and only during the night before the Ivan Kupala Day one can find the flower of fern that shows were treasures are hidden.
On the box's left side Molodkin has painted the celebration of the Holy Trinity Day (Svyataya Troyitsa) that is a very important Christian holiday. This holiday is dedicated to the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection of Christ (Easter). This event gave rise to Christianity. The meaning of the Holy Trinity is thus: God the Father laid the basis for the church in the Old Testament, the Son brought its meaning into words, and the Spirit acts within it. In Russian tradition, the Holy Trinity Day is celebrated through decoration. Villagers nail tree branches to their front porches and gates, transforming houses into fairy-tale-like wood dwellings. Indoors, the floors are covered with cut grass. This tradition of decorating everything with tree branches for the Holy Trinity Day comes from ancient Judaism, in which the Pentecost, the Feast of Harvest, was celebrated outside amongst the flourishing nature.
On the box's rear side we can see the celebration of the Blessed Virgin Protection Holiday. It takes place on the 14th of October. This holiday is established to commemorate the wonderful appearance of the Holy Vigin in the middle of the tenth century in one of the churches of Constantinople. The Holy Virgin appeared before the prayers as a divine sign that the town of Constantinople is protected from the Moslems. This day believers pray the Holy Virgin to protect them from all misfortunes.
On the box's lid Molodking has depicted the celebration of Easter. At Eastertide Russian people cover eggs with bright paints to present them to their relatives and friends, cook Easter cakes, visit churches to attend service, and go to cemeteries to put flowers on graves of their nearest and dearest.
The box is constructed from paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the piece while a radiant red lacquer completes the interior of the box. The lid is hinged, and the box rests on legs. Signed with the artist's name and the village of Mstera.